ROY presents: Manami Ishimura

Ripple

My works represent the existence between inanimate elements and living organisms; to  me, this divide is obscure. For example, a seed is not regarded as life, yet it contains potential  life. Once it sprouts, at some point the seed transitions into a living organism. As the process of  living becomes visualized, we consider that it starts to be a life, yet this boundary is unclear.  The division between categories of non-life and life appears through the dynamic energy  transfer, like the sprouting of a plant. This dynamism is the essence of existence.  

To focus on this dynamism, I use artificial, inanimate materials that transition between  liquid and solid. Like the transition from a seed to a sprout, the interval of between  solidification and melting embodies the dynamic boundary between emptiness and substance.  The repetitive movements of my hands as I draw with this plastic generate a liminal state  similar to the practice of meditation. The works in my studio practice represent efforts to  respect and appreciate the essence of existence.

ROY asks

What is your name and preferred pronouns?

Manami Ishimura (She/Her)

How has art (whether it be your own or art in general) changed you? 

Two artists change me: Marcel Duchamp and the aborigine artist Emily Kame Kngwarreye.

Marcel Duchamp told me that concept/thought can change our vision. Even an object can change our vision by the context behind it, which can be space / combination / information. I started to visualize my concept though art practice after meeting his work. 

Emily Kame Kngwarreye' works led me aware of the potential of expression towards the whole world. Her painting are based on Dreaming Times which is their original myths to keep harmony between human and nature. What she drew is "a whole". I started to create arts as a whole that is subtle phenomenon; to me it is uncertainly and fragile, like water soaks a paper. 

How did you start your artistic practice? 

My artistic practice started as a high school student, I was going to the art academy where students practice drawing, sculpting, painting, and designing for entering art colleges. 

As I touched clay, I thought "this is it!" Clay is fascinating that the material exists in the 3D space where we exist. The form I create is actually exist in this world.

That is the moment I decided to be a sculptor. 

When a first-time viewer sees your work, what is the first word that you hope they think when looking at it? 

Ephemeral